


Curfew

by notallballs (notallbees)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Age Difference, Age Swap, First Kiss, First Year Kuroo Tetsurou, Kissing, M/M, Summer Romance, Third Gym (Haikyuu!!), Third Year Tsukishima Kei, Training Camp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-11-02 22:09:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10953708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notallbees/pseuds/notallballs
Summary: "You're more thoughtful that I gave you credit for," Tsukishima said at last.Kuroo chewed his lip again. That easy silence was there again, prompting him to speak. Perhaps it was the darkness, but he found himself braver than he had been for the two days of training camp so far."So, would you say that's a flaw you have?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady. "Not giving people enough credit?"Tsukishima gave him a sharp look. It made Kuroo's insides seize for a moment in terror—or excitement. Tsukishima's pale brows drew in slightly and his mouth tilted again at the corner. "Perhaps. What's your worst flaw?" he asked, and paused for a moment before adding, "Besides your over-reliance on time delay attacks?"First year Kuroo has a crush. And not just any crush. He just had to go and fall for Karasuno's ultra-cool third year vice captain.





	Curfew

**Author's Note:**

> **me a year ago:** nah i'll never write krtsk, that ship doesn't do it for me  
>  **pepplemint:** what if [age swap kurotsukki](https://sadsharkling.tumblr.com/post/160278220544/pepplemint-i-wasnt-really-going-to-participate)  
>  **me now:** MOVE, I'M GAY

The first years were fresh out of the bath, and the third years were about to take their turn. It wasn't quite time for bed yet, so there were still plenty of people in the wrong rooms; Yamamoto had disappeared somewhere with the Karasuno second years, and Hinata was sprawled across Kenma's futon, asking him endless questions while he played a game.

Kuroo glanced around to make sure nobody was watching him; Lev had already left for the bathroom, Fukunaga already seemed to be asleep, and Kai and Yaku were giggling in a corner with Sugawara. Affecting a casual look, Kuroo stuck his hands in the pockets of his shorts and edged toward the door.

He had gone barely two steps before Kenma looked up from his PSP and frowned. 

"Kuro. Where are you going?"

Kuroo jerked round. "Just out. For a walk. Outside."

Kenma stared at him. 

"To get a drink?" Kuroo ventured. 

"Don't go too far," Kenma said, before going back to his game. 

Hinata pushed himself up and whispered something that made Kenma smile. It gave Kuroo a little spark of envy, but he pushed the feeling aside and escaped while he still could. 

The halls were still raucous, so nobody paid him much attention as he headed back downstairs, past the cafeteria, and slipped out of the rear door toward the gym. He hadn't much hope of running into Tsukishima, but when he'd overheard Hinata say that Tsukishima had left their room to take a walk on his own, Kuroo hadn't been able to resist. 

Looping around the first gym didn't yield any results, but as he rounded the last corner he came across Yamamoto, crouched in the dirt with his new best friends, Karasuno's libero and their second year ace, Tanaka.

"Kuroo," Yamamoto said in surprise when Kuroo crunched to a halt on the gravel path. "Where'd you come from?"

Kuroo shrugged. "Whatcha doing?"

"I found some matches," said the libero. Nishi-something. His tone made Kuroo think he probably hadn't _found_ the matches so much as helped himself, but he kept his mouth shut. Whatever chaos they were about to render, Kuroo didn't want to be a part of it

"Cool," he said instead, glancing around. "Hey, um. Have you seen, uh—what's his name, your vice captain?"

"Tsukishima?" said Tanaka. "I think he went that way." He jabbed his thumb in the direction of the third gym. 

"Tsukki-sa—an!" yelled Nishi-whatever suddenly, throwing his head back and screaming it at the sky. 

Kuroo flinched, and Tanaka swore and cuffed his friend around the back of the head. "What the hell, Noya?" he hissed. "You wanna die?"

Nishinoya—that was it, Kuroo remembered now—just grinned. "What's he gonna do? Spank me?"

"Noya!"

"Well, uh," Kuroo said, taking a step back. "See you guys later. And uh, thanks."

"Hey!" Yamamoto yelled as he retreated. "Don't stay out too late!" 

Kuroo rolled his eyes. "You're too loud, Yamamoto-san!" he called back. 

As Kuroo had feared, he found the third gym silent and empty. It was eerie in the moonlight, and he was about to turn back when he spotted the equipment shed to one side, which was used to store gear for outside sports. Tsukishima was sitting to the side of the wooden steps, long legs stretched out in front of him. 

Kuroo didn't think he'd been noticed yet. He sauntered over, as though he was going to walk straight past, then looked up in mock surprise. "Oh...hey, Tsukki-senpai."

Tsukishima looked at him, eyes narrowing. "What did you just call me?"

Kuroo walked over and dropped down on the porch, leaving a safe distance between himself and Tsukishima. "Lev was pretty annoyed you blocked so many of his spikes today," he said, ignoring Tsukishima's question completely. 

"Lev is still easy to read," Tsukishima said, sounding bored. He glanced at Kuroo, looking him over, then went on in the same dull tone, "Isn't it past your bedtime?"

Kuroo grinned. "Cats are nocturnal."

Tsukishima rolled his eyes. "I see. So if I go and tell your coach that you've snuck out here instead—"

"No no!" Kuroo said quickly. And then, wincing, "I mean...we still have a little while until curfew." 

He sighed, expecting Tsukishima to decide this was beneath him and get up to leave, or worse, tell Kuroo to leave. 

"You actually managed to get some of Hinata's spikes today," Tsukishima said. "And not just with your face."

It took Kuroo a few moments to realise that the quiet, dull-sounding words actually made up a compliment. The only people Kuroo had seen Tsukishima be complimentary or encouraging toward were his own first years, and occasionally, when nobody else was listening, Tanaka. 

"Thanks to your teaching," he said with a smirk. "Isn't it treason to support the enemy like that?"

Tsukishima snorted quietly. "Treason. Maybe."

When Tsukishima didn't explain any further, Kuroo decided to be brave and press him. "So, why _did_ you help me?"

For a minute, Tsukishima seemed to consider his answer, and at last he sighed. "Volleyball is a team sport, but it's not just about the team you're playing with, is it? Even your opponents, you all have something in common." He glanced at Kuroo, a soft smirk pulling his mouth. "And don't you want to play the best game you can? The best opponent is one who tests you to your limits. If you can still triumph after that…"

Kuroo nodded. "That makes sense." He shuffled a little closer, leering at Tsukishima. "You take it pretty seriously, huh, Tsukki-senpai?"

Tsukishima snorted, but didn't dignify the question with a response.

"Do you think you'll really make it to Nationals?" Kuroo asked at last. 

"I don't know," Tsukishima said, turning to watch him with a calm, even expression. "What do you think?"

Kuroo chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully. "Shiratorizawa are the favourites," he ventured.

Tsukishima nodded. "They were the Miyagi representative last year, and now they have Ushiwaka-kun too."

The name was familiar, but Kuroo couldn't place it. He frowned. "Ushiwaka?"

"Ushijima Wakatoshi, he's apparently a pretty powerful wing spiker."

"Like Bokuto," Kuroo said, grinning. 

The corner of Tsukishima's mouth pulled slightly. "Precisely." He looked away after a moment and shifted where he sat, before leaning back and propping his arms behind him. 

"You seem awfully invested in whether or not Karasuno goes to Nationals," Tsukishima said at last, looking up at the clear night sky. "Weren't you talking to Daichi about it earlier?"

Kuroo shrugged. "Yeah, well, you know." He stifled a yawn, then leaned back himself, trying to mimic Tsukishima's effortlessly cool pose with little success. 

Tsukishima watched him, unblinking. "Tell me," he said, when Kuroo had stopped fidgeting.

"It's lame," Kuroo admitted, pulling at a loose thread on the hem of his shorts. "Coach said he'll retire at the end of this year. But him and Coach Naoi, they're always talking about the old 'Battle at the Garbage Dump', you know?" Kuroo stretched his leg out slightly and scuffed the heel of his shoe in the dirt. "I thought it would be cool, if we could—maybe we can give him that one last time before he retires?"

There was a long silence, if it could be called silence with the sound of distant traffic and the roar of cicadas underscoring the balmy night, but it didn't feel uncomfortable. Kuroo's ears burned when he finished speaking and he didn't dare look at Tsukishima's face, but he felt happy that he'd said it.

"You're more thoughtful that I gave you credit for," Tsukishima said at last.

Kuroo chewed his lip again. That easy silence was there again, prompting him to speak. Perhaps it was the darkness, but he found himself braver than he had been for the two days of training camp so far. 

"So, would you say that's a flaw you have?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady. "Not giving people enough credit?"

Tsukishima gave him a sharp look. It made Kuroo's insides seize for a moment in terror—or excitement. Tsukishima's pale brows drew in slightly and his mouth tilted again at the corner. "Perhaps. What's your worst flaw?" he asked, and paused for a moment before adding, "Besides your over-reliance on time delay attacks?"

Kuroo's ears rushed hot again. "Still caught you by surprise a few times," he said in defiance, trying to sound sly. 

"A few," Tsukishima allowed. "Is that you refusing to answer?"

"I don't know," Kuroo said, and then quickly, "I mean I don't know what my biggest flaw is."

Tsukishima looked away, and Kuroo thought he might have rolled his eyes, but he couldn't be sure. The night seemed to close in around them like a blanket, and Kuroo impulsively reached his arm out, as though he could push it away again. From somewhere nearby he heard laughter through an open window.

"It'll be lights out soon," Tsukishima said quietly. It was hard to tell, and Kuroo wasn't yet used to reading his tone, but he had a sense that Tsukishima seemed disappointed.

"I guess," Kuroo ventured after a minute. "I'm—not good at, uh." He blushed and reached up to tug at the scruff of hair on the back of his neck. "I dunno how to—talk about how I feel and stuff."

Again, that solemn silence, but after a moment Tsukishima leaned forward and looked at him carefully. Kuroo met Tsukishima's intense gaze, heart hammering in his throat.

"How do you feel right now?" Tsukishima murmured.

Kuroo swallowed heavily. "Nervous."

"Why nervous?"

"Because you're really cool," Kuroo said, though he'd wanted to say _hot_. "And—I'm not."

"No, you're not," Tsukishima agreed with a funny little smile. He leaned back again, turning to look up at the sparse stars. "That's okay. Cool people piss me off."

Kuroo couldn't help grinning. "So I don't piss you off?"

"Not as much as some people."

In the narrow space between their thighs, Kuroo felt the side of Tsukishima's hand gently touch his own. His heart fluttered uselessly and Kuroo held his breath as he shifted his hand slightly, nudging his little finger against Tsukishima's taped one. Tsukishima moved his own hand closer, fingers slipping over the top of Kuroo's and then threading together.

Kuroo felt electric. He felt like he was on fire. 

Tsukishima closed his eyes. "Kuroo," he said quietly. He let out a small sigh, and his voice dropped almost to a whisper. "I want to kiss you." He sounded pained by the admission.

"Then—"

Tsukishima opened his eyes. "But we shouldn't."

Kuroo's heart, mid-launch, stalled on the landing pad. "Why not? If we both want to…" 

"Hmm," Tsukishima hummed, stroking Kuroo's little finger with his own. The simple touch made Kuroo shiver. "I'm two years older than you."

"I like you."

Tsukishima's eyes widened slightly. He couldn't have been surprised by the sentiment, but perhaps he hadn't expected Kuroo to be so direct. 

"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" he said after a moment, then he reached up to cup Kuroo's jaw and kissed him softly.

Sitting side by side, they were almost the same height, but Kuroo still felt tiny beside Tsukishima. The feeling was unfamiliar, but tantalising. 

Abruptly, he realised that he should do something with his hands instead of just sitting there. Without realising it, he had gripped the edge of the wooden porch, fingers curling tightly around the worn edge of the wood. He released his grip, and tentatively reached out to touch Tsukishima's waist instead. 

Tsukishima shivered, just a little, and parted his lips against Kuroo's, a soft sighing sound passing between them. 

"We should really stop," Tsukishima murmured against his mouth. 

Kuroo flattened his palm against Tsukishima's side, then dragged his hand up slightly, feeling his ribs. In response, Tsukishima moved his hand from Kuroo's jaw to the side of his neck, and turned his head gently so that he could kiss Kuroo's jaw. 

"What if—" Kuroo gasped, tilting his head further into Tsukishima's touch, granting him better access. "What if I want to keep going?"

Tsukishima ran the tip of his tongue along the tendon in Kuroo's neck, making him shiver. "It's getting late," he murmured. "We should stop."

He pulled away, though he didn't yet retract his hands; he reached up and ran his fingers through Kuroo's hair, looking somewhere between amused and annoyed at the state of it. 

"You look even worse than usual," he said at last, finally letting his hand fall to his side again. 

Kuroo swallowed. His mouth felt hot and raw, and there was a burning feeling in his core that made him want to clamber into Tsukishima's lap and never leave. "Funny," Kuroo said, voice faint and useless. "I feel better than ever."

Again, Tsukishima's eyes widened, as though Kuroo had actually managed to catch him off guard. He turned away slightly and reached under his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose. 

"This is very inconvenient."

"You'd be surprised how often people say that about me," Kuroo said lightly, leaning against his arm.

"I really wouldn't."

"Tsukki-senpai, that's hurtful."

Tsukishima looked pained. "At least drop the 'senpai' if you're going to call me that, it sounds ridiculous." 

"Then what should I call you?" Kuroo asked, nudging Tsukishima's arm with his own. "Tsukki-san?"

"Just Tsukishima," Tsukishima replied, with a note of pleading in his voice. 

Kuroo leaned closer, straining to put his mouth near Tsukishima's ear. "Tsukki," he whispered, and grinned when he felt Tsukishima shiver.

Tsukishima lowered his hand to his lap, and Kuroo watched him glance up at the night sky once more. He followed Tsukishima's gaze, to where the moon was just beginning to rise above a row of houses across the street. 

"You enjoy provoking people, don't you?"

Kuroo shrugged. "Not exactly."

Tsukishima sighed quietly, then he moved his hand and dropped it into the space between them. Shyly, Kuroo curled their fingers together again.

"I like you," Kuroo said again, quietly.

"I find you infuriating," Tsukishima muttered.

Kuroo grinned. "And hot, right?"

"Infuriating and arrogant."

"You don't really think I'm arrogant," Kuroo said, only half convinced that he was right.

Tsukishima lifted their joined hands. "The most arrogant person I know," he murmured, and kissed the back of Kuroo's hand. "Except maybe Lev."

Kuroo snorted. "Wow, thanks."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a little while, Tsukishima running his thumb gently along the inside of Kuroo's wrist. 

"What happens when you go back to Miyagi?" Kuroo asked, when the words had churned up so intensely inside him that he couldn't contain them anymore.

Tsukishima cleared his throat. "Maybe we'll see each other at Nationals." He turned and caught Kuroo's eye, smiling in that small, secret way that made Kuroo's heart leap. "Return of the Battle at the Garbage Dump."

Kuroo grinned. "Does that mean I can have your number?"

"Maybe, if you make it to Nationals."

"So cruel," Kuroo groaned, clutching at his chest. "How will I survive this separation, Tsukki?"

"You'll have a much better chance of survival if you stop calling me that."

"Tsukki," Kuroo said, leaning in close again. "Tsukki, Tsukki—"

Tsukishima surprised him by lunging forward suddenly, pinning him on his back against the wooden boards. Kuroo blinked up at him in surprise. 

"I told you," Tsukishima growled, leaning down, "not to call me that."

By the time they made it back inside, it was well after lights out. Tsukishima calmly apologised for them both when they ran into Takeda-sensei in the hallway, and walked Kuroo back to his room. 

"Tomorrow night," Kuroo whispered, when Tsukishima began to walk away. "Can I meet you again?"

Tsukishima turned back to look at him. He set his hand on his waist considering. "Get past my block ten times," he said, his grin wicked in the semi-darkness. "And I'll consider it."

Kuroo gritted his teeth and nodded. Ten points. He'd have to wheedle Kenma into tossing to him more, but he thought he could do it. Standing in the doorway to the room his teammates were sleeping in, he watched Tsukishima disappear down the hallway, and reached up to touch his mouth. He started to grin. He'd get fifty points if he had to, if it meant he got to kiss Tsukishima one more time.

"Kuro, come inside and shut the door."

"Kuroo! Where the hell were you?"

"You're in so much trouble, Kuroo-kun."

Kuroo grinned. Ten points. Game on.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](https://notallballs.tumblr.com/) | [twitter](https://twitter.com/notallbees)


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